Posts Tagged ‘preservation’
Digitized Oral History Puts Control Back in the Hands of Native Communities
Working for a digitization company that focuses primarily on still media, it’s easy to forget that not all records are written down or photographed. In Native American cultures, oral traditions play a big role in passing stories, history and heritage to the next generation. Unfortunately, as delicate as paper can be, human lives are even more fragile. This makes the passing of these stories critical to the preservation of tribal communities. The University of New Mexico (UNM) has been one…
Out of the Shop and Into The Office
It was 2014 when I first walked through The Crowley Company’s doors. I had a feeling then that this place would become an important one for me, but I couldn’t have predicted the impact it would have on my understanding of myself and the world. As I leave the Technical Service Department to join the marketing team I look back on my initiation into the world of preservation and my subsequent evolution. I began as an intern in the marketing…
Going Digital: Sacramental Documents “Transfigured”
As much of the world prepares to celebrate Easter this Sunday, it seems a good week to feature an upcoming digitization project for downtown Baltimore’s Transfiguration Catholic Community: 88 precisely hand-written bound volumes which record the births, communions, confirmations and marriages of three city parishes dating back to 1842. Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP (Father Augustine), pastor of the Transfiguration community, notes that the digitization of these registries is an effort to both preserve the records and to increase the…
Mold: How to Protect Vital Collections
I recently came across this article in the Shreveport Times detailing the growing problem of mold (pun intended) in the Shreve Memorial Library. This is one example of a common concern amongst libraries and archives. How do you keep your collections safe from mold and other forms of erosion and aging? As we’ve discussed in a previous blog, microfilm is the longest surviving media and can last up to 500 years when stored properly. But don’t overlook that last part…